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Sword fighters are the most popular fighting class in anime, but the ones that are truly accomplished in their craft stand out. Many wield legendary swords forged with god-like enchantments and fight with strategy and discipline. Artists often take inspiration behind sword design from Japanese katana, Scottish claymores, and Spanish rapiers, often depicting them with fantastical elements like glowing blades.
Strength isn't the only factor in what makes a warrior a remarkable fighter. Guts of Berserk trains with a gargantuan sword and can level an army by himself. However, part of what makes him so great are the choices he makes in battle as a warrior versus other warriors who are just as strong as he is.
InuYasha Wields the Coveted Blade, Tessaiga
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InuYasha is a half-yokai who wields a legendary, sentient sword. Some question whether he's worthy enough to wield such a blade, especially his brother, Sesshomaru, who thinks he's the better warrior for it. Wielding the Tessaiga makes good thematic sense with Inuyasha's own insecurities about his half-demon status, as he struggles against his own identity and wishes to change it.
Over and over, though, Inuyasha proves that he is worthy, as he uses his abilities to protect others. He is gruff and may speak unkindly, but he always does the right thing. Inuyasha is a scrupulous warrior, which is why a sword with a mind of its own would ultimately allow him to carry and wield it.
Casca Is a Strategic & Devoted Soldier in Berserk
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Casca is Griffith's second-in-command in the Band of the Hawk in Berserk. The Band of the Hawk is more than just a disparate group of mercenaries. They're led by a military genius, Griffith, who leads them right up to the kings' favor and eventual knighthood.
Casca's loyalty, battle strategy, cleverness, and fighting prowess are what advanced her in life from village girl to second-in-command. Casca is integral to one of the Band's greatest, and most unlikely, victories, as well. She wins Doldrey Castle, which was previously thought to be impregnable. Casca's swordsmanship is vital for seizing the castle, as she fought and soundly defeated the recurring antagonist, Adon, in a duel to win it.
Utena Always Pushes Herself as a Duelist in Revolutionary Girl Utena
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Revolutionary Girl Utena begins with a duel where an idealist named Utena instinctively comes to a girl named Anthy's defense and becomes her champion when she wins. Revolutionary Girl Utena is a complex and romantic, surrealist story which experiments with the language and tropes of fantasy and fairy tales. Utena makes an amazing warrior because she pushes herself to embody an ideal.
Utena is one of many who have been able to fight with the Sword of Dios. As a warrior, protector, and wielder of the Sword of Dios, Utena is constantly tested. She wants to embody a prince-like nobility, but she must confront her own flaws constantly.
Olivier Mira Armstrong Fights with Integrity in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
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Olivier Mira Armstrong comes from an esteemed family in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. She's the saber-wielding commanding officer of Fort Briggs, a position which requires constant vigilance and military prowess. Armstrong's leadership and abilities as a warrior are proved by the loyalty of her soldiers. She's a character who is defined by her leadership and her fighting style.
Major General Armstrong uses a family heirloom sword, and fights with such agility that she can defeat opponents far stronger than her. She made a fool of her brother, Alex Louis Armstrong, and fought Sloth. Olivier can fight proficiently with other weaponry, as well, like firearms, but she shines with the saber.
Ichigo Mastered His Zanpakuto in Bleach
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Bleach centers around Soul Reapers and their bond with soul-cutting blades called zanpakuto. Each Soul Reaper has a unique bond with their blade, and Ichigo mastered his zanpakuto at a precocious speed. Like a true shonen anime hero, Ichigo speed-ran through power leveling and cut through villains, becoming a master swordsman in his Shinigami form.
Ichigo didn't have formal training, but his extemporaneous learning made him an independent thinker and a brave fighter. That creativity means that he's quick at thinking on his feet and fights on an instinctual level. It's harder for his enemies to predict his next move, especially as he's ambidextrous.
Dracule Mihawk Is the World's Greatest Swordsman in One Piece
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Dracule Mihawk holds the superlative of Strongest Swordsman in the World in One Piece. Straw Hat Pirate member, Zoro, yearns to defeat Dracule so that he can finally seize the title from Dracule from himself. Dracule wields the Black Sword Night, which is the strongest sword in the world, to match the strongest swordsman.
Dracule Mihawk is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and it's arguable that he's even the strongest of those seven warlords. Swordsmanship is just the beginning of Mihawk's abilities. He can travel across the ocean easily, he can level entire armies, and his skirmishes are said to shake the planet.
Hikaru Wields a Holy Sword Powered by the Sacred Magic of Cephiro in Magic Knight Rayearth
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Even before Hikaru was transported to the realm of Cephiro in Magic Knight Rayearth, her family owned a dojo, and she had experience fighting with a sword. She showed such promise that she defeated her father in a sword fight by the time she reached kindergarten age. In Cephrio, Hikaru's chosen by the element of fire and the Master Smith, Presea, forges her a holy sword.
Hikaru's sword and armor evolve with her own strength and Cephiro-blessed gifts over the course of Magic Knight Rayearth. Her fiery weapon is bonded to her to the point where it bursts into flame should anyone other than her try to touch it. Hikaru is the strongest of the Magic Knights and her fire spells are staggering.
Vampire War General Striga Can Defy the Sunlight in Castlevania
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Castlevania Season 3 introduces the War General of Carmilla's Council of Sisters, Striga. All of Carmilla's ambitions and creative goals hinge on Striga's soldiering abilities and military prowess. Not only is Striga strong, but she has a moral complexity and philosophical mind that allows her to question her own allies and friends.
All vampires are unquestionably strong in Castlevania, and many of them are sword-wielders, including Dracula and his son, Alucard. Striga does what few full-blooded vampires can. When her lover, Morana, is in danger, Striga takes the ultimate risk and dons a legendary set of armor which allows her to walk and quell an entire sneak attack single-handedly in the daytime.
Berserk's Guts Carries a Sword Tempered by the Blood of Demons
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From the very start, Berserk's protagonist, Guts' life story is incredibly tragic. He has always had to be fiercely independent, starting from being raised in a band of fighters where he learned to lift an adult-sized blade from early childhood. Guts learned that he had to defend himself and provide for himself, and he also learned that it was worthwhile to defend others.
The spirit of Guts' story and his relationship to swordsmanship continues as Guts travels and provides for himself by defeating previously "unbeatable" fighters. After he survives the Eclipse, Guts commissions a unique blade dubbed Dragon Slayer which is fitted to slay demons. The sword couldn't be wielded by any other, and Guts trained his whole life for it.
Sailor Uranus Wields a Sword That Can Summon the Apocalypse in Sailor Moon
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By the final Sailor Moon story arc, the Sailor Guardians have reached their higher Eternal forms, and have powers to rival gods. Sailor Uranus is also an Outer Sailor Guardian, which makes her one of the more powerful Sailor Guardians. The Outer Sailor Guardians must carry stronger powers because it's their duty to guard the outer borders of the Solar System from threats.
The Outer Sailor Guardians also each carry a Talisman weapon which, when combined, are strong enough to summon an apocalypse. Sailor Uranus' Talisman comes in the form of a shape-shifting saber, called the Space Sword, which was at one point sealed inside her Heart Crystal. Sailor Uranus uses the Space Sword for her strongest attack as a Sailor Guardian: Space Sword Blaster, which is a solar wind-based attack.
